Last week I wrote a fairly critical article of the Horned Frogs football team. In that article, I argued that the Frogs needed to start showcasing their talent against weak teams, as opposed to merely chalking another mark in the win column. After TCU’s 45-0 rout of Wyoming, I am convinced that head coach Gary Patterson reads and abides to my opinion. This has stoked and inflated my ego.
Regardless of whether the coaching staff actually reads my critique or not, TCU did what they needed to on Saturday.
Gone was the TCU team that couldn’t find the end zone until the third quarter. Gone was the offense that stayed in the doldrums for the entire first half. Instead of a simple win, the Frogs demonstrated utter dominance and confidence against the Wyoming Cowboys. Games like this prove to the nation that the Frogs are a serious and worthy contender.
The Horned Frogs came charging out the gate and never looked back, a trait that America has come to expect from them. By halftime, Wyoming had been continually pounded by a tenacious defense and faced a 31-0 deficit.
The TCU defense only allowed 191 total yards and denied the Cowboys on all 10 of their third down conversion attempts. When the Cowboys reached their single red zone opportunity of the game, safety Tyler Luttrell intercepted the ball on the 4 yard line, crushing the hopes of a Wyoming score.
The Horned Frog offense came to life early and overpowered the Wyoming defense. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 pass attempts. Running back Ed Wesley showed up with another grade-A performance, rushing for more than 100 yards for the third time this season. The Horned Frog offense was firing on all cylinders, finishing with 586 total yards, six touchdowns and 27 first downs. Punter Anson Kelton didn’t even make an appearance until the fourth quarter. This type of offensive production proves that TCU is worthy of its Top Five ranking.
Perhaps the best part of this win was the timing. TCU’s blowout was perfect for the shake-ups in this week’s AP Poll. Formerly top-ranked Alabama lost 35-21 to the South Carolina Gamecocks, going down in the polls. For the first time this season, TCU was awarded a first-place vote by one of the AP Poll voters. As long as this type of play keeps up, I think it’s only fair to assume that the Horned Frogs will start receiving more.
I suppose I need to finish this article with a final word of advice if I want to support the illusion that Gary Patterson takes my advice.
As the Horned Frogs take on the BYU Cougars Saturday, they should aim for another fast and aggressive attack on offense. The Frogs should start quickly with an offensive explosion and gain momentum with big plays. Allow the defense to get into BYU quarterback Jake Heaps’s mind by having the defensive line relentlessly shred the BYU offensive line. Above all else, play with confidence and boldness.
J.D. Moore is a freshman journalism major from Honolulu, Hawaii.
